Apparatus for treating material



April 14, 936- K. T. POTTHOFF I 2,037,264

APPARATUS FOR TREATING MATERIAL Filed May 11, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 1April 14, 1936. K, PQTTHQFF 2,037,264

APPARATUS FOR TREATING MATERIAL Filed May 11, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2noewi oz April 1936. K. T. POTTHOFF APPARATUS FOR TREATING MATERIALFiled May 11, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Apr. 14, 1936 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR TREATING MATERIAL Application May 11, 1927,Serial No. 190,446

9 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for the treatment of material inbulk and particularly to cleaning, plating, coating or any similaroperation on quantities of small articles. The object of the inventionis to provide apparatus which will receive the articles in bulk andautomatically and continuously carry them through a series of relatedoperations and properly time the successive.steps and deliverthearticles in finished form without the intervention of hand operation atany stage.

Further objects of the invention particularly in making the apparatusadaptable for a variety of operations will appear from the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in whichFigs. 1 and 1a are side elevational views of one embodiment of theinvention with parts in section,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view. on line 22 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. la,

Figs. 4 and 4a. are side elevational views of a modification, and

Fig. 5 is a section on line 55 of Fig. 4a.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 3 the material isfed through chute 8 into feeding drum 9 rotatably mounted in'cradles l6and II the former of which is vertically adjustable to raise and lowerthe entrance end of the feeding drum so as to adjustably incline itsaxis. The drum 9 is driven from a source of power (not shown) by bevelgears 12 and its rate of rotation is such that at desired intervals, forinstance one and one half minutes, its scoop blade l3 picks up a chargeof material and passes it into the transfer chambers l4 and [5 whichcarry it into the next drum l6. The amount of material or number ofarticles picked up by the scoop blade I3 is adjusted by the inclinationof the axis of the feed drum.

The drum I6 is mounted so that its lower portion is immersed in a liquidin tank I! and as the peripheral material of the drum is perforated orporous the material in the drum is submerged in the tank liquid andtumbled and stirred therein by the rotation of the drum. The liquid inthe tank [1 may be, for instance, an alkaline,

solution for removing dirt and grease from the material and articles,and the most desirable time of exposure to this alkaline solution may beabout three minutes. The drum l6 and the next succeeding three drums areall connected together to be rotated by the gear drive I!) and as thesesucceeding drums involve operations requiring less time, about one andone-half minutes each,

drum I6 is divided into two parts l6l and I62. The material fed to partl6! remains therein about one and a, half minutes when it is raised upby scoop pocket 2| (see Fig. 2) and dropped into the segmental opening22 of conical chamber 23 from which it slides into part I62 of the drumwhere it remains another one and one-half minutes before it is picked upby scoop pocket 24. The total time of exposure in the alkaline solutionof tank I! is therefore three minutes. 10

The scoop pocket 24 drops the material into the transfer chamber25 whichpasses it on to the next drum 26 rotating in tank 21 containing cleaningwater so that the articles are washed in this water about one and onehalf minutes be- 15 fore they are picked up and passed on to the drum 28by a scoop pocket and transfer chamber similar to those of the previousdrum. The tank 29 of drum 28 contains an acid solution to neutralize anyalkali remaining on the articles and pickle for removingoxide or scaleand the charge of material is kept in this acid solution about one andone half minutes and then passed on to the water wash in drum 30 whereinit remains a similar length of time. Drums [6, 26, 28 and 30 areconnected together as a unit rotatable in cradles 3| and driven by geariii.

A charge of material delivered from drum 36 passes through thestationary chamber 35 into the storage drum 36 mounted in cradles 31 andoscillated through a 180 turn and back every six minutes. Eachoscillation scoops up and empties the charges of material from thisstorage drum into the first ball burnishing drum 40, the balls for thisburnishing having been supplied to the material through the opening 39in this stationary transfer chamber 35. There are three ball burnishingdrums 40, 4| and 42 connected together as a unit and driven by gear 43rotating for six minutes so that the material mixed with the burnishingballs is tumbled for six minutes in each drum making eighteen minutes ofball burnishing all together. Four charges of material from the drum 30accumulate in the storage drum 36 and are passed by this drum 36 to and5 through the ball burnishing drums as a single charge which is finallypassed into the washing and screening drum 5!! wherein the material iswashed and the balls are screened out and carried up by buckets 5| andpassed-back through chute 52 to the opening 39 in transfer chamber 35.The drum is connected to be rotated with the drums 46, 4| and 42 incradles 54, and the buckets 6| when rotated to upper positions will 55dump their contents into the end portion of the chute 52 which they willthen overlie.

The material leaving the drum 50 has been cleaned, polished and washedand is now ready for plating in the drum 55 of plating tank 56. Theplating tank 56 contains a plating solution and is provided withrenewable anodes 51 while the drum 55 carries the cathode bars 58extending between ,the heads 59 and connected by strips 60 todistributing rings 6| receiving the current from flange rings 62supported on the current supplying rollers of the cradles 63. Thematerial from the washing drum 50 is fed to the plating drum 55 incharges or batches every six minutes. The material for which theapparatus is specifically designed may require for instance twenty-fourminutes of exposure to the plating deposit and plating drum 55 rotatingonce in about six minutes is divided into four separate sections 64, 65,66 and 61 the material remaining about twenty-four minutes all togetherin the plating tank 56..

The material is then passed on to the wash drum 68 in wash tank 60wherein it remains for six minutes, the wash drum 68 being connected tothe plating dum 55'as a unit driven by gear I and rotating in cradles 63and 63'.

The material from the wash drum 68 is discharged into the stationarychute 'II where it is mixed with burnishing balls from the return ballchute 12, the mixed material passing into the final burnishing drum I3completing a revolution in six minutes and divided into two separatesections 14 and I so that the material is ball burnished in tank I6 forabout twelve minutes. It is then where the burnishing balls areseparated out by 4 the screen I8 and carried by pockets I9 to the returnchute I2. The washing and screening drum is connected to the ballburnishing drum I3 as a unit driven by gear 80 and rotating in cra dles8|.

The material discharged from the washing and screening drum 1! passesthrough the conveyor passage 82 to the dryer drum 83 supported at oneend by the flange 84 running in the rollers of cradle 85 and having theother end supported by the rim 86 of a spider the shaft 81 of which isjournalled in the vertically adjustable bearing 88 and driven bysprocket 89 at any desired'rate. The adjustable inclination of the axisprovided by the adjusting of bearing 88 enables the rate of feed of thematerial through the drying drum to be varied to time the dryingoperation according to the character of the articles dried. The dryingdrum is enclosed in a casing 90 heated by burners SI and the cleaned,plated, burnished and dried material is finally fed out in finished formthrough the chute 92.

In the modification shown in Figs. 4 and 5 the material is not ballburnished. It is fed into supply drum I00 separately rotated in cradlesIOI, I02, by bevel gear drive I03 arranged to give the desired rate ofrotation. The inclination of the axis of the drum may be adjusted bycradle IM to vary the rate of feeding according to the nature of thematerial. At each rotation of drum I00 :1 charge of material-is pickedup by scoop I05 and passed to transfer cylinder I06 which feeds it tothe cleaning drum I01 rotated in cradles I08 by gear drive. I09.Cleaning drum I01 is rotated four times per minute and is provided withan internal helical flange or conveyor IIO having a pitch which giveseleven complete convolutions throughout the length of the drum so thatthe to material is in the drum I0I approximately three minutes subjectedto the cleaning alkali solution in tank III. It is then picked up byscoop II2 and passed on through transfer chamber II3 to water wash drumH4 in tank H5. Drum II4 is connected to drum I0'I as a unit driven bythe gear I09 and the drum H4 is of such length as to have the materialfed through in about one and one half minutes and it is then picked upby scoop I I6 and passed onto transfer chamber I IT. From this chamberthe material passes into the acid dip drum II8 rotated by gear H9 incradles I20 and of such length as to have the material fed through inabout two minutes so that the material is exposed to the acid dipsolution in tank I2I for about this length of time before it is pickedup by scoop I22 and passed on to transfer chamber I23 feeding it to thewater wash drum I24 in tank I 25. The wash drum I24 is connected to theacid dip drum II8 as a unit and is supported by cradle I26, the drum I24being of such length that the material is fed through it in about oneand one half minutes. I

The material thus cleaned and washed is fed from drum I24 throughtransfer chamber I 21 and conveyed to the chute I28 leading to theplating apparatus. This conveying means may be of any type best suitedto the particular conditions of each installation. In the specificexample shown in'the drawings the conveying means comprises a beltconveyor I29 receiving the material from transfer passage I21 andcarrying it upward and dropping it into the chute I28. The charge ofmaterial sliding down this chute falls into the oscillating trough orcradle I30 swinging on shaft I3I in bearings I32 and I33, one of whichI33 is vertically adjustable to vary the inclination of the cradle andaid in controlling the rate of feed of material therethrough. The cradleI30 has the ends I34 and sides I35 to prevent escape of material andhanging from the shaft I3I are the anodes I36 and cathodes I3'I. Theanode I36 is suspended in electroplating liquid in tank I38 above thematerial passing through the cradle and the cathode I3! is provided bythe bars I40 extending between the T-shaped holders I4I looselyjournalled on the shaft I3I so that the cathode will follow any shiftingmovement of the material. Instead of the relatively movable cathodemeans I40 cathode strips of the form shown in Fig. 3 for drum 55 may beprovided. The material undergoes this plating operation during repeatedoscillations of the cradle I30, for instance, for fifteen minutes at theend of which time it has reached the lower end of the cradle I30 and isreceived alternately in the pockets I43, I44 when in lowermost positionand carried up by the oscillation of the cradle and deposited in thechute I45. The buckets I43 and I44 and the right-hand end portion of thechute I45 overlap or are in intersecting vertical planes as shown inFig. 4a, and as the cradle nears the ends of its oscillating movementthe buckets will alternately be brought to a position overlying thechute so that the material will drop down into it. From this chute thematerial slides into feed chamber I46 of the water wash drum I41 in tankI48 wherein It is washed for about one and one half minutes andpassed-on through transfer chamber I40 to the drying drum I50 supportedby cradle I5I and the adjustable bearing I52 and driven by a gear onshaft I53 in bearing I52 so that the inclination of the dryer may bevaried to control the rate of feed of the articles through it.

While the invention has been explained in connection with illustrativeapparatus and specific sequences and times of treatment have beenmentioned by way of example the principle of the invention is notconfined thereto but is intended to cover such modifications as fallwithin the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for treating the material in a liquid, the combinationwith a tank for the liquid, of an oscillating cradle for supporting andstirring the material in said liquid, and means for moving said cradleto feed the material out of it.

2. An apparatus for treating the material in a liquid, the combinationof a tank for the liquid, of a cradle oscillating about an axis in aplane parallel to the direction of progress of the material and adaptedto support and stir the materiaiin said liquid, and means /for movingsaid cradle to feed the material out of it.

3. In electroplating apparatus the combination with a tank for theelectrolyte, of an oscillating cradle for supporting and stirring thematerial in saidelectrolyte, cathode members carried in said cradle, andmeans for oscillating said cradle to feed material from one end to theother thereof.

4. In electroplating apparatus the combination with a tank for theelectrolyte, of an oscillating cradle for supporting and stirring thematerial in said electrolyte, cathode members carried in said cradle,means for oscillating said cradle to feed material from one end to theother thereof, and means for discharging material from said cradlecomprising pick-up pockets adapted to discharge the material.

5. In apparatus for plating articles the combination with a series oftanks containing cleaning and washing liquids, of means in each tank formoving the articles therethrough as a mass, the lengths of said means'insaid tanks being dif fercnt to correspond to the time of treatment inthe respective tanks, an automatic feed for the articles to said meanscomprising an adjustment to vary the rate of feed of the articles, meansfor subsequently plating the articles and means for varying the durationof the plating treatment according to the character of the articlesbeing plated, all of such apparatus being automatic in operation so thatthe articles are cleaned and plated without intermediate handling.

6. In apparatus for plating articles the combination with a series oftanks containing cleaning and washing liquids, of means in each tank formoving the articles therethrough as a mass, the lengths of said means insaid tanks being different to correspond to the time of treatment in therespective tanks, an automatic feed for articles to said meanscomprising an adjustment to vary the rate of feed of the articles, meansfor subsequently plating the articles and means for finally cleaning anddrying said articles, said last named means being adjustable to vary therate of travel of the articles therein, all of said apparatus beingautomatic in operation so that the articles are cleaned and plated anddried without intermediate handling.

7. In apparatus for plating articles the combination with a series oftanks containing cleaning and washing liquids, of means in each tank formoving the articles therethrough as a mass, the lengths of said means insaid tanks being different to correspond with the time of treatment inthe respective tanks, means for varying the rate of feed of the articlesto said series of tanks, means for subsequently plating the articles,means for delivering said articles in distinct batches and means forreceiving andtreating said articles in said batches comprising a tankcontaining a liquid and having a rotatable drum element adapted tosubmerge each batch of material in said liquid, means for introducingburnishing balls into said material in said drum element and stirringsaid balls and material together for desired length of time, means forscreening the balls outward away from said material and automaticallyreturning the screened balls to said introducing means, and means forseparately moving said material inward to automatically feed it out ofsaid drum element.

8. In apparatus for plating articles the combination with a series oftanks containing cleaning and washing liquids, of means in each tank formoving the articles therethrough as a mass, the lengths of said means insaid tanks being different to correspond with the time of treatment inthe respective tanks, means for varying the rate of feed of the articlesto said series of tanks, means for subsequently plating the articles,means for delivering said articles in distinct batches and means forreceiving and treat ing said articles in said batches] comprising a tankcontaining a liquid and having a rotatable drum element adapted tosubmerge each batch of material in said liquid, means for mixing withsaid material burnishing balls of smaller size than the individualelements of said material so that said material and said burnishingballs will be stirred together in said drum element for a. desiredlength of time, means for delivering said mixed material and burnishingballs from said stirring operation, subsequent means for automaticallyscreening the balls outward away from said material and means forseparately feeding and delivering said material after separation fromsaid balls.

9. In electroplating apparatus the combination with a tank for theelectrolyte, of an oscillating cradle having an open top and an inclinedtrough portion for supporting and stirring the material in saidelectrolyte as it progresses downwardly along said inclined trough,cathode members supported in contact with the material in said cradle,means for oscillating said cradle to stir the material in alternatelyopposite directions while in contact with said cathode members,

means for feeding material into the upper end

